FRENCH LICK/WEST BADEN, Indiana – Excitement is building for the return of the popular Orange County Pumpkin Festival Parade on Sunday, October 3, with more than 25 confirmed floats and entries. The long-time event, organized this year by the Love Never Fails -United Christian Church organizations, will begin in West Baden and end near the French Lick Resort, lasting from 2-4 p.m.

More than 3,000 people from the region are expected to attend the two-hour parade.

“The 2021 Pumpkin Festival Parade is shaping up to be a great event,” said Pastor Jason Lindsey of Love Never Fails – United Christian Church in West Baden. “We are privileged and happy to work with the community to help bring this important event back to what looks like an exciting and successful return.”

Brittany Stout, a founder of the Safe Haven Recovery Center in West Baden and a Family Nurse Practitioner with the Southern Indiana Community Health Care (SICHC) group, was named to serve as the Grand Marshal for this year’s parade.

“Brittany is an outstanding person in the community and has played an important role in helping the region step up and provide needed recovery and other services through Safe Haven in West Baden, as well as working to reduce the harmful stigma around seeking help in recovery” said Pastor Lindsey. “We at Love Never Fails and the United Christian Church are pleased to be able to partner and work with Safe Haven to provide much needed services to the greater community.”

He noted that the event plans to recognize people coming up in the region who have shown “exceptional commitment to service – people like Brittany represent the future of our community.”

“We at SICHC are grateful and proud to see our providers like Brittany be recognized for their service,” said Nancy Radcliff, SICHC CEO. “The goals and focus of the Safe Haven and Love Never Fails groups align well with what SICHC is focused on achieving in the community, and we look forward to continuing to be supportive.”

“I personally feel indebted to Brittany for providing a massive local spotlight on the thralls of addiction and what we can do as a healthcare organization to combat the disease,” the SICHC CEO continued. “Over the past three years, we have added specialty services for substance use, tripled our mental health support staff, and greatly improved outreach services.

“This is just the beginning to serve a person that suffers from addiction – today we are confident because of our dedicated providers and staff that we will continue to promote healing and hope to those affected,” she noted.

Current participants for the October 3rd event include:  O.C. Eats, 1952 Korean War Jeep, McDonald’s, 2021 StrassenFest Queen, 2021 Orange County Mini Miss Princess, Blackhawk Brigade, Springs Valley Meadows, Lion’s Club, Family Dollar, Springs Valley Bank & Trust, Safe Haven, Charlie’s Angels, CJ’s Boutique, Moore’s Ridge UMC, Love Never Fails UCC, Indy 500 Pace Car (Sandy Baker), Subway, SVYFL, Drift Coastal Italian, Boston International, Valley Police, Wilstem Ranch, Valley Fire Depts, Grand Marshal, Girl Scouts, Boy/Cub Scouts , Humane Society, Smithville, and REMC.

The 2020 event was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The event previously was organized by the Springs Valley Exchange Club, which disbanded due to the pandemic.

For more information, please visit http://loveneverfailsunitedchristian.org/ and also on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lnffc/

More information about Safe Haven can be found at: https://safehavenrec.com/

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About the Southern Indiana Community Health Care (SICHC) nonprofit organization – Well-known as a high-impact health care provider committed to continuity of care, the nonprofit Southern Indiana Community Health Care (SICHC) organization is committed to providing high-quality, comprehensive, community-sensitive health care utilizing Christ-centered principles to medically underserved, rural communities.  As a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), SICHC serves as a “safety net” provider for vulnerable populations and focuses on increasing access to primary care services for Medicaid and Medicare patients in rural communities. SICHC offers medical care in medically underserved areas of Crawford, Martin, Orange, and Washington counties. SICHC is a member of the National Health Services Corps and receives program funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. SICHC offers services to all persons, regardless of the person’s ability to pay. For more information, please visit https://sichc.org/